BEHIND THE SCENES

Fifteen months in the making, FAIR DINKUM MANJIT was produced and directed by multiaward- winning Iranian-Australian documentary filmmaker Faramarz K-Rahber.

Consisting of both a documentary and a commercial video clip, FAIR DINKUM MANJIT is the first of its kind in Australia.

Having met Manjit during a quick taxi ride in 2004, Faramarz quickly realised that Manjit and his music would make for an entertaining television documentary. After pitching the idea to SBS Independent, the project was soon commissioned for the SBS documentary series ‘Inside Australia’. Further project support was received from The Pacific Film and Television Commission, the Australian Film Commission and post-production company Pro-cam Digi- Post.

During twelve months of production, the crew had full access to Manjit’s private and working lives, resulting in an insightful look into this unusual man’s life and philosophy. Some scenes had been planned all along (eg. Anzac Day and family get-togethers) but others happened with no warning (eg. Manjit meeting Premier Peter Beattie and radio interviews). In short, making the documentary was an adventurous journey where you never quite knew what was around the next corner.

The ambitious decision to shoot a video clip for Manjit’s song ‘Song Australia’ alongside the documentary was made from the outset. Faraway Productions enlisted an experienced music video director and producer to help craft a highly commercial production that would sit comfortably next to what’s essentially a one-man-band guerrilla-style documentary.

The result – two entertaining productions for the price of one – is guaranteed to delight audiences everywhere.